Saheti Summer Festival draws national schools for water polo and basketball showdown
Led by an incredible team of coaches and sports directors, the school has a strong team leading the sport’s development.
It was a weekend of sporting fun as schools from across the country descended on Saheti School to attend the 2026 Summer Festival.
Held from February 13- 14, the annual water polo and basketball sports festival attracted over 40 teams from 25 schools.
2026 marked the fourth year that the festival was held.
Speaking to the master in charge of water polo, Alexia Cassar said the second day of the festival went well despite being delayed by the weather on the first day.
“The players seemed to enjoy the day; they brought the atmosphere and the energy.”
Cassar said it felt great having so many schools and teams participating in this year’s event.
“It’s nice to know that there is a big interest from other schools. We have actually had to have a limit on the number of schools that participate, so the festival has become an invite-only event,” said Cassar.
She said this year the water polo has grown with eight teams in both the boys and girls categories.
Speaking about sports development, Cassar said Saheti is introducing water polo and basketball to learners at younger ages.
“We introduce basketball from Grade One and Grade Two, so learners are taught the ball skills, and the fundamentals are taught early.
“Water polo is introduced from the age of 10, and by starting younger, there is a much larger interest,” said Cassar.
She said the school offers as much as possible to the learners, providing them with opportunities to grow from a young age.
Former Saheti learner and director of the Basketball National League, Dion Karagiannis, explained that basketball started at the school in 1981.
“When I was at school, we used to play at the Greek Sporting Club.
“Then the school started taking it more seriously and got in coaches, and a lot of learners passed through playing basketball,” said Karagiannis.
He said the growth of basketball at Saheti School has been tremendous.
“I matriculated in 1986; those were different times, we didn’t have parents watching us play.
“We would play straight after school against other schools like KES, and the main focus was to make the Transvaal team.
“We started off small, but with the sport now introduced to the primary school its developing further.”
Karagiannis said that, led by an incredible team of coaches and sports directors, the school has a strong team leading the sport’s development.
Sophia Zachariou, head of the primary school, said one of the highlights of the festival was seeing the joy and happiness on the learners’ faces.
“Seeing the children relate to one another and form friendships is what gives us educators pleasure,” said Zachariou.
The results of the festival will be released once the basketball finals have been played.
